Sunday, February 17, 2019

What can one say about Nate Young and John Olson, the binding elements of
this split recording? Readers of these pages might recognize their duo
(formerly a trio with Aaron Dilloway) Wolf Eyes through their 2006
collaboration with Anthony Braxton Black Vomit or their devasting
2004 breakthrough Burned Mind. Others who are more hardcore or
just more informed than I might even recognize Olson and Dilloway’s work
with Gretchen Gonzales Davidson in Universal Indians from the late 1990s. Two Civilized Centers is less aggressive than those releases, but,
I think, nearly as potent.

It begins with a steady pulsing beat. Electrified sax and synth effects
slowly build around the baseline palpitations and gradually layer into a
surprisingly rhythmic piece of music reminiscent of early Krautrock a la
early Sprung aus den Wolken or, in the periodic muted vocals, some of the
more minimalist Sonic Youth side-projects. As has been customary with more
recent Wolf Eyes output, the tension bubbles just under the surface. The
overall effect is entrancing, until it disintegrates into a demented circus
of fragmented techno beats at its end. Solid, compelling Wolf Eyes all the
way.

The other side to this cassette and digital release is occupied by
Universal Eyes. Two parts Wolf Eyes (Young and Olson), one part Dilloway,
and one part Davidson. One can hear the similarity between this
configuration and Wolf Eyes. Indeed, both sound as if they are writing a
soundtrack for some desolate, postindustrial landscape. That said, the
aesthetic effect is quite different. The first Universal Eyes track,
“Civilized Two,” has no traceable rhythm or recurring beat. Rather, the
backbone of the piece is a stream of interlacing hums. Partial melodies,
electronic hisses, pumping gears, and electro-metallic echoes fade in and
out of perception. “Civilized Three” consists of similar elements and
evokes similarly bleak environs. The music is somewhat softer, but just as
disturbing. One hears howls and fog-horns, metal clanks and various other
drips, hums, and clangor. It is difficult for the listener to find
consistent threads to latch onto. But, maybe that is the purpose. One must
wander in search of something familiar on which to fixate. In this
soundscape, however, one only finds the whisper of a melody, the remnant or
premature abandonment of a steady beat, and the ghosts of a freshly
departed (or at least unrecognizable) civilization. Then again, one also
gets the sense that all of this is also a celebration not necessarily of
that barrenness, but of the those who stayed behind to revel in the newly
open musical space. In other words, this is not just noise. It has
real nuance and vision, as one might expect from this seasoned group of
musicians.